


Lucid Fallacies

by adal44t_kb_o



Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: Consensual Interfacing, Dubious Consent, M/M, Mind Control, Multi, Size Kink, Sticky Sexual Interfacing, Threesome - M/M/M, Voyeurism, rough interfacing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-18
Updated: 2016-07-20
Packaged: 2018-03-18 10:25:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3566249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adal44t_kb_o/pseuds/adal44t_kb_o
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dreadwing is in for a steamy surprise in the form of dirty manipulation that quickly devolves into a macabre betrayal and changes the course of the loyal seeker's life. A resurgence of pain and anguish entwine together to push him into reevaluating his decision to join the Decepticons and ultimately, the realization that this was more than he ever signed up for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Aspiration Supplied Tryst

**Author's Note:**

> Prime-verse. Slightly AU in that the episode this takes place in has had a time stretch so that this can happen between episodic events. This PWP of seeker smut started as a one-shot, but at the request of one of my besties on the site I am continuing it.
> 
> Chapter Warning/Tags/Kinks-consensual sticky b/w 3 mechs, rough interfacing, little voyeurism technically, size kink, mind control.
> 
> PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE UNDER THE LEGAL AGE!   
> Disclaimer-I do not own any of the characters or locations represented in Transformers Prime and I’m not profiting from this story.

Dreadwing’s heavy thrusters clanked loudly as he strode swiftly toward the bridge of the Decepticon warship. Drones paused in their assigned tasks, hastening to salute him as was the expectation when a high ranking officer passed by, but he paid them no attention. His sheer mass was enough to make other bots tremble before him, but he was not on the warpath, he was hurrying with angst. Megatron, Lord of the Decepticons and his master, had demanded his presence on the command deck, immediately.

It wasn’t so much the demand that had Dreadwing full of trepidation and moving at such a quick pace, but rather the tone of voice his master had held over the comm. link. The Decepticon leader was known to sound irate on a normal basis, but this solarcycle’s message was laced with a subtle chord of pleasure that was very uncharacteristic of him. _Unless, he intends to punish somebot,_ he thought remembering past circumstances when that tone had been used. Megatron was an apt leader but prone to violent rages and swift, ruthless punishments. Although no bot would dare comment aloud, it was common knowledge that the warlord took sadistic pleasure in ripping other mechs to pieces, even his own soldiers when he saw fit.

Almost to the huge doorway, Dreadwing did allow himself a moment to wonder what Megatron could want with him so early in the solarcycle. There were no artifacts left to retrieve and he was not set to start his shift for another four megacycles. As far as he knew, his leader was happy with his performance as of late and did not have a valid reason to punish him. When he entered the expansive command deck, he surveyed the situation registering only two life signals besides his own.

First, he gave a curt nod to Soundwave who had turned toward him during his entrance. The reticent spy gave no formal conformation that he had registered Dreadwing’s greeting, instead staring at him behind his visor with his usual stillness. Dreadwing was still trying to get a feel for the silent mech even after so many vorns of being acquainted. The two had not spent much time together since he had arrived aboard the Nemesis and the communications specialist was not much for socializing anyways. What Dreadwing did know was that he was by far the most intelligent mech Megatron had at his disposal and his services had been indispensable to the Decepticon cause. He was unquestionably loyal and the third-in-command had honor, a trait the large seeker greatly admired.

Realizing he had been staring inappropriately at the lithe spy, he instead moved toward his lord as the other mech turned back to resume his typing a nanoklick later. “Soundwave, bring up the coordinates for my first lieutenant,” ordered Megatron without turning to look at said lieutenant. Smoothly and only an astrosecond later the screen changed as if Soundwave had anticipated the command. He regarded his lord for a moment, aware of the stiffened posture and almost excitable amount of energy coursing through the considerable body before him.

Megatron had started life as a gladiator, which meant his frame was perfect for the rigors of close combat. He was large, even larger than Dreadwing himself, but not bulky in any way that would hinder fluid movement. His charcoal grey armor was meant to be impenetrable; the plates were thick, overlaying, and sharp at the edges to protect the delicate, glowing purple circuitry beneath. With an aerial alt mode and the unparalleled might of his fusion cannon, he was truly a predator, made to hunt and slay his enemies with minimal effort. No matter where a Cybertronian’s allegiances lay, no bot could deny that Megatron was an impressive and foreboding sight.

The warlord’s contained excitement intrigued Dreadwing and he made his way closer to the console where Soundwave was working. The monitor displayed a picture of one of this planet’s desert areas and the coordinates below he recognized as the location of his spark twin’s resting place. Skyquake and Dreadwing had been separated long ago when Megatron had sent his twin on a mission to this planet. Skyquake had been locked in stasis until he was called upon by Starscream to rid them of their Autobot enemies. Ultimately, the outcome had been his twin’s brutal deactivation only a few cycles after his emergence.

His anger blazed at the sight, recalling his request of Megatron that he never again mention Skyquake after his own failed attempts to seek vengeance on the Autobots. To better serve his lord and forget his pain, he had needed the constant reminders of his spark twin’s untimely demise to cease. However, his anger faltered at his lord’s next statement, “We have picked up a Decepticon life signal in this location. It belongs to Starscream.”

Megatron’s tone and the smirk he now wore immediately made sense. His lord and Starscream had a long history filled with explosive arguments, vicious punishments, and underhanded betrayal. Many wondered why Megatron had kept the other around so long as his perfidy was well known. In the end, he was not even cast out by the warlord’s own servo as Starscream himself had left the ranks to live on this planet as a neutral.

Dreadwing had not been aboard the Nemesis at that time, but it was rumored that Megatron had indeed planned on terminating Starscream only solarcycles prior to his desertion but had not followed through for some unknown reason. Apparently the tension between them had only risen after the incident, and Megatron’s fury at Starscream’s departure had been insurmountable. Punishing or even offlining the traitorous, former second-in-command was sure to put the warlord in a good mood after all that had transpired. “Dreadwing, see that he finds his way back aboard the Nemesis… online and in working condition. We wouldn’t want him to miss the homecoming I have planned for him due to injury,” and there was that tone again.

The large seeker dropped to one knee. “Of course, my lord. I am curious however why you do not wish to pursue this matter yourself?”

“Such a retrieval is not worthy of my time, but rest assured that I will deal with him personally when you bring him back. Now go before we lose the signal.”

“Yes, Lord Megatron.”

* * *

The Nemesis was on the other side of the planet when Dreadwing was dispatched. Using the GroundBridge, he warped to just a few kilometers from his intended location. This wasn’t by accident, he merely preferred to get a feel for the area and take the other seeker by surprise if possible. Starscream was a cunning mech with superb aerial maneuverability, the uncanny ability to escape even the surest of traps, and there was a lethal grace to him that Dreadwing had not failed to recognize even if he was not overly fond of the other seeker. Flying for a while and then venturing the last hundred meters or so on pede would give him a chance to plan the wayward SIC’s capture.

Unfortunately it also gave him time to think of his lost twin, which made his spark ache to the very core. Spark twins were rare in general, but more common in seeker society than in other groups. It is believed that the occurrence is equally prevalent among all Cybertronian cultures, but it is just more likely that when it happens to a seeker they are more capable of providing for the additional sparkling. Seeker carriers are known to be able to carry multiple sparklings at a time where most other classes can only carry one. If a spark splits to become twins then seeker carriers can handle it whereas other carriers most often lose one or even both of the sparklings.

Spark twins share a bond from the nanoklick they are conceived. Always connected, never alone. They are able to feel one another even over great distances and it takes a lot of work to mute the bond. Usually it took both twins actively trying, but if separated for a long time then he had heard it was sometimes necessary for the bond to be renewed physically. Dreadwing had lost contact with his brother when he had been put into stasis and for a brief moment experienced true happiness when his brother had been reawakened. That feeling had been ripped away so quickly and now where Skyquake’s conscious had once filled his mind and spark there was only a dark hole of debilitating grief.    

Starscream had been in command of the Decepticons at the time of Skyquake’s unfortunate end. From what he had heard, Skyquake’s mistake had been his rash behavior, taking on Optimus Prime and The Scout, Bumblebee, alone. He should have rendezvoused with the rest of the Decepticons, but he could not fault his twin for being a brave and loyal soldier. He instead chose to blame Starscream who had awakened his twin from stasis and brought the danger of the Autobots upon him without Megatron’s aid.

Starscream was a capable commander and master strategist but was often defeated by his own ambitious nature. Many of his plans went south because he himself did not have the physical clout to back them up. If Starscream had brought some drones with him or stayed to fight himself then maybe his twin would still be functioning. For sure he was no Megatron. Their master would have fought alongside his twin or more likely, would have called an immediate retreat after the purpose, Skyquake’s awakening, of the journey had been accomplished.

Lost in his despair, Dreadwing didn’t realize until much too late that he was almost upon the provided coordinates and hadn’t yet come up with any plan. He surveyed the surroundings and found that the location was a bit to the north inside a large rock outcropping. It was ideal for setting up his notorious charges, but the flimsy flier would probably be crushed instead of trapped by the resulting rockslide. He wasn’t built to take heavy hits like Dreadwing, and Megatron had emphasized his desire that Starscream be returned in pristine condition, in all probability so the warlord could ruin him himself.

 _I shall have to improvise._ He snuck along the base of a huge rock that jutted from the cracked ground creating a barrier between himself and the SIC’s life signal. The roasting desert temperature was dropping slowly as it was early evening on this side of the planet. In addition to the cooling temperatures, Dreadwing was thankful there was no wind as he hated the feeling of sand beneath his plating. It always wormed its way into the most inaccessible of places and then he would have to ask somebot else to help get it out, which was, needless to say, embarrassing.

Almost to the end of the rock wall he froze at the sound of a stifled groan. Peering around the corner, Dreadwing could see his prey straddling the lap of a much larger bot. The smaller mech’s back was to him and the other’s servos roamed the shiny, silver plating. _It seems the former SIC is about to engage in an interfacing session_ , Dreadwing thought grinning to himself. This would definitely allow him the element of surprise, but the other bot was an unknown so caution was still in order.

He moved closer and felt his plating heat a little as Starscream let out a wanton moan in response to the other bot grasping one of his wings. Dreadwing couldn’t help but admire how the servo moved back and forth lavishing the wing with attentive caresses, his own appendages flicking in response to the visual. A seeker’s wings contained countless sensors and extremely delicate circuitry necessary to enable flight. Even the barest of grazes in the right way were enough to light an inextinguishable inner fire of molten desire that would have them writhing in unadulterated bliss beneath another’s servos.

It was a great honor to interface with a seeker as they were known for their prowess in the berth and their exceptional ability to make other mechs beg for one more taste of their sweet, sweet frames. As much as they enjoyed having their wings pampered, often the privilege was withheld from mechs as they were deemed unworthy of that honor. Most bots had only ever dreamt of such a thing though as seekers usually stuck to their own kind for interfacing.

The expert ministrations were causing the diminutive seeker to shudder and lean into the much larger frame. A frame Dreadwing couldn’t help but appreciate as well. It seemed suspiciously familiar with its green and silver armor punctuated with glowing red wisps; not to mention the powerful thrusters that lay against the dry ground. Seeker thrusters, thrusters… identical to his own except for their color. “Skyquake?” he managed to get out in disbelief.

“Dreadwing?” Starscream squeaked in horror, jumping out of his twin’s lap. “What are you doing here?”

“I should ask the same thing,” he snapped with a pointed look and his gaze shifted to his twin, who still seemed to be energized despite the interruption. “Skyquake, I saw you offlined myself in Soundwave’s recording. I felt it even so far away. How is it that you survived?”

“It is nice to see you as well, my twin,” he retorted with an amused look. “That was a ruse to deceive the Autobots into leaving as I must admit that was one fight I was not going to win.”

“And the Decepticons? Why have you not allowed anybot to know you are still function?” he said feeling betrayed. Dreadwing was not used to showing a lot of emotion, but he had taken the news… the lie, that had been his twin’s offlinement very hard.

“Dreadwing, I,” and his gaze flicked to Starscream, “had my reasons,” he continued without pause or remorse.

“Him? He is a Decepticon traitor and was responsible for your… incident. Why have you not returned to our master and to me?”

“I was going to inform you when the time was right and I have not forgotten our master. Do not make more of this than it is. Dreadwing. There are no other seekers on this planet and Starscream is available and willing. I simply wish to relieve myself before returning to the ranks since I have been in stasis for so long. Want to join me?” he asked guilelessly.

“What?!” Dreadwing looked over at Starscream who still appeared mortified at having been caught in such a compromising situation. He had a small amount of lubricant leaking from behind his interface panel and looked quite… indecent. “Skyquake, I understand your insinuation and am not in agreement. I prefer to keep this a private affair so if you wouldn’t mind leaving, Dreadwing,” said Starscream with his usual snarky attitude, servos resting on his flared hips. _How dare you_ , Dreadwing thought in disbelief at Starscream’s arrogance.

Ignoring his address of the other seeker, Skyquake instead said, “Really?” and pulled Starscream back down to him even as the smaller bot resisted with an indignant squawk. His twin’s lips found the other seeker’s neck cables and sucked. “Commander Starscream,” and Dreadwing could hear the sharp intake from the SIC at those words, “he is identical to me in EVERY way. Do not tell me that you do not wish to have TWO much LARGER seekers dominating you.” Starscream only moaned and shuddered in response as Skyquake’s servos found his wings again. A small amount of rubbing and the smaller flier seemed ready to burst. He turned his helm to look at Dreadwing and gave another needy whine. “I thought so.”

Starscream tried to leave his twin’s lap but to no avail as Skyquake’s servos still trapped him. Skyquake seemed all too happy to anchor the other in place, shamelessly rubbing their interface panels together while he teased, “Not yet you greedy mech. My twin must first decide what he wants,” and the twins locked identical fiery, red optics.

Dreadwing watched as Skyquake sucked and nipped at the flier’s neck cables again. This elicited more of those delicious moans from Starscream and he couldn’t help but scrutinize the other’s lithe frame. Everything about it was in such stark contrast with his own large, heavily plated body. The seeker was tall and refined; his long arms delicately sculpted and his beautiful legs terminated at those precisely balanced thrusters. He was all sharp angles and perfectly accented with punches of color here and there, not to mention that thin, red spire jutting between his optics. It made him look so regal, the epitome of a high-born seeker of Vos. His proud, up-tilted wings flitted as Skyquake played with them and they drew in the larger seeker like a moth to a flame. “Now you may go.”

Dreadwing looked up to see Starscream slinking toward him ever so gracefully. Just before him, the air commander paused and trailed a clawed servo down one of his hypersensitive wings officially asking permission to interface. Dreadwing shuddered in appreciation while the smaller flier smirked at his reaction. This was his opportunity to deny the traitor and return to the Nemesis as Megatron had bid, but… he wanted this. He wanted this enticing mech who was offering himself up so eagerly. He wanted this time with his twin and this experience that was already promising to be a processor-blowing interface.

So… he returned the advance with an extended claw in which Starscream promptly pressed his wing hard enough to cause the metal to creak. They shared a few moments of mutual rubbing that was customary between seekers. It was an act intended to soothe partners who were new to each other as well as arouse them before a session.

Starscream’s spindly claws closed around his wrist joint, drawing him backwards toward his waiting twin. Apparently he was comfortable with this arrangement and wanted to get started right away. Dreadwing allowed himself to be pulled along still unsure exactly why he was doing this instead of following his master’s orders. He chalked it up to many things: the realization that his twin was online and well, his own long denied, substantial need to interface that all seekers possessed, and… Starscream was just one good looking seeker. Imagining his small, agile frame pressed between his and his twins’ much larger ones caused his cooling fans to click on.

Starscream snickered at the sound and continued to back up until he could collapse back into Skyquake’s lap still facing Dreadwing. His twin’s servos shot back out to grasp the thin seeker’s hip and thigh plating, scratching roughly at the surface. Dreadwing knelt in front of the pair and Starscream’s deadly talons dug into the seams around his cockpit scraping slightly against the sensitive wiring. His body rapidly heated at the strokes and all that heat headed directly for his interface panel. Unexpectedly, Starscream yanked his body forward and crushed their lip plates together.

Dreadwing was unfamiliar with this act but it caused his spike to stir in its housing nonetheless. Starscream jammed his glossa into Dreadwing’s mouth and swirled it around. The oral fluid on it was sweet and he couldn’t help but suck at it, which earned him a groan from his interface partner. Starscream pressed in further and Dreadwing finally pushed back, not willing to let the other mech direct him in such a game. His claws travelled to the back of the other’s neck drawing him in close and he devoured the groans that escaped, enjoying the taste of his partner.

“I find this human kissing to be amusing,” supplied Skyquake understanding his twin’s confusion. “Trust me on this my spark twin. ALL his fluids taste just as good,” and at that Starscream’s panel clicked open to reveal his already dripping valve. “Close it now. I will tell you when we are ready.” Starscream whimpered but did as he was told, clenching his servos around Dreadwing’s chestplate. It seemed to Dreadwing that the former commander had a bit of a power kink and he decided to use that knowledge to his full advantage.

Shoving him roughly backwards, Starscream’s frame slammed into Skyquake’s with an audible clank that caused sparks to fly. The twins gave him no time to recover though as Dreadwing attacked his mouth again while Skyquake scratched his claws along Starscream’s wings and down where they connected to his spinal strut. Dreadwing worried at his lips, glossa moving inside to acquire more of that delicious fluid. His servos moved along the other’s chassis, dipping into seams where the hidden circuitry could be stimulated. Skyquake wrenched Starscream’s arms backward into a one-servo grip and moved lower to rub and tease his already hot interface panel. The commander was quickly becoming a moaning, writhing mess between them and this only spurred their united efforts.

Dreadwing had forgotten how good it felt to dominate another alongside his brother. Slowly, he allowed his electromagnetic field to flare outward overwhelming Starscream’s on its way to find the other twin to it. Skyquake’s field surged at the contact and they got reacquainted, their sparks fluttering in response. Dreadwing felt something inside him loosen as that dark hole began to fill up with everything that was Skyquake. The individual EM fields pulsed rhythmically until they merged after a moment and Dreadwing could once again feel his twin inside his own mind. It wasn’t just that they could feel everything the other felt, but they were truly two minds of the same whole. They shared every emotion and thought in mere nanoklicks having to actively hold back memories they didn’t wish to divulge yet. Their fields slowly pulled back but the connection that had been reformed remained.

The bond that they had shared since being sparked was renewed and they now communicated with effortless telepathy. Dreadwing’s desires could not be adequately explained with words so he instead sent waves of emotions, ideas, and images to Skyquake of what he wanted to do to the mech between them. His twin smirked lewdly at him over their partner’s shoulder guards, and then simultaneously they bit down on either side of his neck cables. Starscream shrieked in pleasure as he went rigid in overload. They rode his body through all its bucking still sucking and lapping at the twin bites he now sported, their mark of claim.

The twins reluctantly pulled back, their partner’s energon staining their lip plates. Starscream’s optics shuttered as he went limp between them twitching in post-overload bliss. “Commander, we’re nowhere near done with you,” and at that Dreadwing pulled the smaller mech into his own lap grinding their heated interface panels together harshly. Starscream mewled at the contact as his body reset after the minor, but no less gratifying, overload.

“Don’t underestimate him, Dreadwing. He’s easy to overload I’ll admit but he is feisty and has quite the stamina.” Before Dreadwing could respond he felt sharp claws digging into the seams around his codpiece trying to find the sensitive wiring underneath. He could feel his twin’s smug attitude through the bond and realized that Skyquake was holding things back on purpose to surprise him. He wondered why but could not think when the smaller seeker’s claws scrapped a particular sensor cluster and both his codpiece and panel slid aside free of his will. His sizeable spike pressurized and Starscream greedily grabbed for it, both servos sliding around him.

Dreadwing had a moment of hesitation as he recognized the real possibility that Starscream could castrate him easily with those claws. Skyquake allayed his fears, sending information across the bond about his experiences with Starscream and how much the former SIC loved to suck spike. The smaller mech was working him expertly with just his servos such that Dreadwing let a groan escape unbidden and he had to put more effort into steadying himself. _It’s been so long._ He felt his brother standing beside him, which was his cue to remove himself from Starscream’s grasp and leave his kneeling position.

Starscream snarled in annoyance until he noticed the twins’ positions and Skyquake’s spike now pressurizing beside his own. They were perfect mirrors of each other in every way and this included their interface equipment. Both spikes had silver undersides and their respective colors on top. They were thick with glowing, red rings running up the considerable lengths that stopped just short of the flared tips. Starscream licked his lip plates and looked up at them with a pleading look that seemed to ask if these spikes were really his to play with.

Dreadwing chuckled while Skyquake moved forward to bump his spike against the other’s face. Starscream continued to plead with his optics while rubbing his faceplates against the spike. Once again, his confusion was felt so Skyquake informed him that this was a game he enjoyed playing with Starscream. The commander did indeed have an authority kink and it only aroused him more if they made him beg for it. Dreadwing moved up next to his brother long having learned how to maneuver during a joint interface so that they didn’t hinder each other with their bulk.

Starscream turned to his spike giving as much attention as he could with only his cheek plating to work with. He flicked his optics between the two of them desperately trying to please them both so they might let him touch. He became frantic after a few cycles, rubbing them each faster when he seemed to remember that Dreadwing was new to their game and might not know the rules. Starscream flicked his glossa out on the underside of Dreadwing’s spike, which was a mistake however as the twin growled a warning at him.

Starscream whimpered, renewing the pleasant rubbing in an apology that Dreadwing could not resist. “Clever, Starscream, but my brother shares my memories and feelings,” and Skyquake paused at the sensation of the smaller mech’s attentions. He grazed Starscream’s cheek plating with a servo staring at the mech that was trying so exuberantly to please him. “You are such a lovely piece of aft though. You may touch.” The words had barely left his twin’s vocalizer when he felt his entire spike engulfed by wet, electric heat in a feat he wasn’t sure was possible; Starscream was slimly built and their size mismatch was considerable. He didn’t spare any processor power on it though as Starscream pulled back and swirled his glossa inside of a sensitive ring that ran around the flared tip. His servo moved to rest against the other’s helm and when he was engulfed again he couldn’t help but clench his fist as a low groan escaped him.

Starscream’s own servos were busy stroking up and down his twin’s spike eliciting small groans from the other mech. Through the bond they both experienced what the other was feeling although not as intensely as the real thing. Starscream bobbed his helm up and down stopping every now and then to suck enthusiastically. Each time he drew up his lip plates would catch on the ring edges and send an intense shock through the larger seeker’s frame as the sensor clusters in his spike fired in response to the stimulation.

Dreadwing’s whole body vibrated with his approaching overload and nanoklicks before he would have exploded the heat vanished and was replaced with a thin, motionless servo. He growled at the loss but Starscream’s lips were already flush against his brother’s housing, the entire spike gone down his intake and oral fluid leaking out of the corners. Starscream it seemed was as adept at teasing as he was at sucking spike, and Dreadwing admitted he was desperate for more contact. His hips gyrated but the friction between his spike and the servo around it was not enough.

Starscream released the other spike with a loud pop and then smirked up at the twins. His servos grabbed one spike each, moving up and down quickly, he alternated between sucking each of them off. When one would get close to overload he would halt all movement and place his lips against the other’s spike instead. The pleasure was exquisite and it radiated across the bond back and forth adding to the entire experience. Starscream in teasing them was also getting himself quite worked up as was evidenced when he whined, “Skyquake. Please?”

His brother’s designation was spoken with such pleading and desire that even Dreadwing was now wishing his twin would claim the mech. “No. My twin has yet to have the pleasure of taking you. Dreadwing?” He did not need more encouragement than that. Dreadwing knelt behind the seeker who was still on his knee joints pleasuring his brother. Starscream, to his amazement, had kept his valve cover closed the entire time ever waiting for the command to open it. Dreadwing still did not grant him permission as he wanted some time to cool down; this was not an experience he wanted to end too quickly.

Sensing that his brother also needed a respite, he forced Starscream’s helm onto his twin’s spike, holding him there while he wrapped an arm around the smaller mech’s waist. He then yanked him off his brother to which Starscream came sputtering from the lack of cool air being allowed to cycle through his intakes. The commander was hot with arousal and shaking uncontrollably with unrequited need. Dreadwing calmed him with soft caresses to his backplates and gentle strokes to his wings. “Relax. You will be screaming our designations soon enough. Now open up for us.”

The panel clicked open to the heady smell of lubricant and the thick, silvery fluid gushed out to coat his thighs and pool below him on the ground. Dreadwing circled the valve slowly and then dipped a single large digit inside. Starscream keened loudly at the stretch and bucked his hips tempestuously. Dreadwing smirked at his eagerness and then slipped another digit inside. “Frag. Is he always this tight?”

“Yes, and he will remain as such throughout.” Just the thought of that brought another groan from Dreadwing and he pumped his digits in and out faster. He had had plenty of partners who were smaller than him but Starscream’s valve was impossibly tight.

Skyquake grabbed the lithe seeker’s chin and held him steady, optics locked together. “You will look so good spiked between us,” and he kissed Starscream thoroughly. Dreadwing felt his spike pressurize even more at the words and the visual; their lip plates moved against one another, glossas swirling and dipping into the others’ mouth. His twin pulled back with a smirk that was just as much filled with pleasure as it was arrogance. The smirk stopped Dreadwing’s spark beat for a moment, he had missed Skyquake so much, and then it was gone, his arousal overriding everything else. He shoved his partner’s helm down to the ground with a lusty growl ramming his clawed digits inside as Starscream cried out in broken static. Skyquake had backed up to give him room and knelt so he could be reached again when the time was right. Pulling his digits out, he let Starscream see him licking his claws clean.

“Stop teasing me,” croaked Starscream through his scratchy vocalizer to which Dreadwing responded by dragging his claws roughly along the other’s hip plating. Starscream shook violently at the contact and bucked his hips in anticipation of the spike he so desperately wanted. Dreadwing decided to prolong the game and instead bent down to lick at his prize. “Primus! Nngh… oh… yes, YES,” cried Starscream. He wiggled himself against the glossa invading him, trying frantically to push it deeper.

Inside, Dreadwing found a shallow sensor cluster that with one swipe turned Starscream into more of a shivering wreck than he already was. A few more flicks and a strong suck later, Dreadwing pulled back much to his partner’s anguish. _Starscream tastes so good_ , he thought wiping lubricant off his faceplates with the back of a servo while his brother silently agreed with him. At that point, the smaller seeker tried to take his twin’s spike again but Skyquake held him off. “I will hear you scream before your mouth is too full to make out those beautiful sounds.” Starscream’s hips jerked backwards obscenely at that trying to impale himself on the waiting spike.

“No,” Dreadwing gritted out, “don’t move. You will stay put and take it.” One more level to the game for it was against a seeker’s very nature to remain motionless. They were flighty creatures in every sense of the word and being made to still was torture in and of itself.

Starscream keened loudly and then begged again, “Please, Dreadwing… PLEASE?!”

Dreadwing wanted to but their size differences had him apprehensive again. “Don’t worry. Our little seeker is quite good at taking large spikes and he likes it rough.” To that Starscream only nodded.

Skyquake had already penetrated him many times before so Dreadwing decided no irreparable damage would come to the other. He thrust inside little by little allowing the valve to stretch around him, his ridges sparking each time they rubbed against a complimentary sensor cluster in the tight valve. It was a snug fit and the delicate walls of Starscream’s valve were doing their best to shift and accommodate his girth. Starscream’s claws scrabbled at the ground as he arched his back into the movement. When Dreadwing finally seated himself fully Starscream let out a long, “Yes,” in crackled static and spread his legs wider in invitation. Dreadwing drew himself out teasingly slow giving the mech a little more time to adjust and beg some more, which he promptly did. “Faster, please. Frag me hard already!”

He could feel the walls had opened a little so he grabbed Starscream’s hips firmly and gave one powerful thrust battering his way in to bury himself to the hilt. Starscream shrieked in immeasurable pleasure and pain just as his twin had wanted. He pulled out again and slammed himself back in, each thrust drawing shrieks from the smaller seeker as he crashed into the node at the back of the valve, transferring electricity into it. Starscream’s body rocked with each blow and lubricant tinged with energon leaked out of the still constricted valve. Skyquake had had enough time to recover so he bumped his spike into Starscream’s faceplates again. This brought an excited mewl from the tiny flier who pulled the spike inside, sucking furiously.

Dreadwing thrust into Starscream at a steady pace pushing him onto the spike of his twin who thrust into that inviting heat in return. They had perfected this art long ago and through their bond worked with perfect synchronization. Starscream could only writhe between them, grunting around the spike he sucked each time Dreadwing impaled him. The twins were relentless in their rhythm, neither faltering for a nanoklick and Starscream’s frame thrummed with the tell-tale signs of overload as the electrical buildup reached its climax. Skyquake pulled out once more knowing his brother would enjoy the scream that ensued upon the smaller seeker’s release.

Two more thrusts and Starscream tipped over that edge. His body convulsed; valve spasming and locking down hard around the spike bludgeoning him. He screeched, “DREADWING!” in ecstasy so loudly that his static laced vocalizer finally shorted out from overuse. Catching the seeker with one arm around his middle, Dreadwing held the other in place and continued his assault still driving himself into that liquid heat over and over. He bent one of his knee joints upward and placed his thruster against the ground so he could get better leverage and put more force into each thrust.

Starscream started to rouse and Dreadwing thought back to his twin’s earlier comment, _two overloads later and he is ready for more. Stamina indeed._ When Starscream recovered a bit more, Skyquake offered himself again knowing full well that he would not be denied. This time his servo moved to the back of his helm and they all recognized the fact that Skyquake did not intend to let him go again. Both larger seekers picked up their speed and ferocity for the next time Starscream overloaded they would as well. Dreadwing pounded into the slender mech with a savagery that through Skyquake’s memories he knew Starscream loved. His brother more tender with Starscream’s intake, still matched him thrust for thrust.

Starscream, true to Dreadwing’s words, could only kneel there and take the beating he was receiving, but he was still well practiced in heightening his partner’s pleasure however possible. He rhythmically clenched his valve to Dreadwing’s hammering and sucked Skyquake’s spike with fervor. He let out silent cries and moans from his damaged vocalizer that vibrated through his frame and down their lengths for enhanced stimulation. Their little seeker worked them just as much as they did him.

The twins were starting to lose their rhythm as overload fast approached. They now thrust into their shared partner as fast as they possibly could each feeling the other’s overwhelming pleasure. Starscream locked up as his third overload rocked his body and he finally dragged them down with him. They growled their overload at exactly the same time each spilling their scalding transfluid into Starscream’s frame, buried as deep as they could possibly go. No longer thrusting, they ground forcefully into him coating his insides and prolonging their overloads with delicious friction. White hot lighting flashed through Dreadwing as every sensor fired in quick succession causing a cascade of seemingly endless pleasure. His data net burst with electrical stimulation and every package was written of blissful elation.

When the shuddering finally died down, Skyquake quickly pulled out sensing there might be a little danger to his sensitive equipment. Starscream had been knocked offline that last time and Dreadwing was only in slightly better shape as they both collapsed to the ground. He managed to not land on top of their tiny companion and pulled out his depressurizing spike moments later. Their combined fluid flowed out of Starscream to further stain their bodies but Dreadwing was too exhausted to care. All three seekers’ cooling fans worked furiously to dissipate the heat of their overworked frames and coolant flushed rapidly throughout their bodies.

After a while, Skyquake laid down on Starscream’s opposite side. “How have I… allowed myself to go… so long without this?” he vented rhetorically. His bother smirked at that admission and then Dreadwing said something else that was running through his processor, “Skyquake… I have missed you.”

“I know, Dreadwing. I know.” Dreadwing felt recharge coming to claim him and he smiled at his brother one last time before laying his helm down. It put him on optic level with Starscream who had slipped into recharge after being knocked offline. The thought of what to do when he awoke with the former SIC tried to needle its way into his processor but he squashed it immediately. _A problem for another time._ His last sight was Starscream’s faceplates before his optics shuttered and he felt the other’s warm frame snuggle into him. He admitted to himself that he felt a lot more affection than he thought he ever could for the tiny seeker in that moment.

* * *

Soundwave stood impassively as Dreadwing squirmed on the berth, optics shuttered in his sleep and helm thrown back. Sporadically the large seeker would let out loud groans and buck his hips. Soundwave was waiting patiently as Dreadwing thrust his erect spike up into the clear space above him. His entire body was shaking, his cooling fans working hard, and there was a sound of rushing fluids that prompted Soundwave to step back. A nanoklick later the SIC gave a loud roar, his back arching off the berth, spike jutting into the air in an intense overload that sprayed copious amounts of transfluid out across his body, the berth, and the floor at Soundwave’s pedes.

The spy lingered checking the seeker’s vitals and watching as Dreadwing trembled against the berth. There was no chance of him waking for a good long while due to the potent sedative Soundwave slipped into his evening energon ration. Convinced his work was done, he retracted his feeler from Dreadwing’s shoulder port and pulled it back into its housing. When it was fully inside there was a lingering charge from the transferred coding that was pleasant to feel before the electricity dissipated.

He left the room and just as the doors were sliding closed behind him a patrol of Eradicons walked by. They paused to stare at him knowing full well whose quarters he was exiting at this time of the solarcycle. One of them actually had the gall to look at his interface panel probably trying to see if there were visible paint transfers. He took a step forward that was no more menacing than his usual movement but they all jumped anyways. They hurried down the rest of the corridor and rounded a corner where the indistinguishable chatter inevitably began.

Soundwave was well aware of how fast rumors spread around the Nemesis and he would have to monitor the bandwidth to see what would be said about this particular encounter. No bot was aware of his interfacing habits except for Laserbeak and he preferred to keep it that way. Although, leaving everybot in the dark had already led to the creation of all types of stories, from secret late night escapades with Megatron to him fragging a different mech every night including Autobots. He truly had no idea how that particular one had come about.

Filing away the information as one more thing he needed to do in his capacious data banks, he walked through the hallway of the officers’ quarters toward the command deck where Megatron was waiting for a report. He passed no other on the way and was soon enough standing at his master’s side.

“I trust your mission was successful?” inquired Megatron as he turned to face his most trusted soldier. Soundwave allowed the recording of Dreadwing’s huge frame arching and his transfluid spraying everywhere to play on his visor. “Successful indeed,” Megatron chuckled. “I will know whether or not I will allow Starscream to continue functioning after the cortical psychic patch. If he does indeed return then I’m sure Dreadwing’s latest dream sequence will ensure he can put their differences aside. Unless of course he finds out about Starscream’s little dabble with dark energon and Skyquake’s desecrated corpse but that information shall be kept to ourselves. I will have no further dissention in my army.”

Soundwave waited patiently for more orders from his master but he seemed to be lost in thought. Megatron shuttered his optics momentarily and then said, “Good work, Soundwave. Take the rest of the solarcycle off and before you decline, I insist. I have never doubted your competence but everybot needs some time to themselves once in a while.”

Soundwave would never disobey a direct order from his master, which this most definitely was, so he gave a slight nod and turned to leave. He could use the time to study more of Earth’s internet capabilities and maybe find a way to improve their search techniques. “And I mean no work at all,” said Megatron as if he knew what the spy was thinking. Soundwave thought about all the things he did in his free time, which was essentially… nothing. He hadn’t had free time in stellarcycles. It might be nice just to sit with Laserbeak perched on his arm and gently stroke her like he used to so long ago.

Soundwave was almost out the door when his master’s low voice caught his attention and he paused. “Curious Soundwave, as you were the one who created the sequence for our Dreadwing. Did you code the encounter based on… personal experience?” A flinch just barely noticeable escaped the spy and his EM field flared temporarily. He knew full well that Megatron had noticed his reaction but he would allow the warlord to translate that however he chose. Surely Megatron would not be one to spread rumors. Only a nanoklick longer and then he continued out the door.


	2. Bonds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as I mentioned previously I have decided to continue this story, but it has gone from light-hearted PWP to fucked up and dark. My mind is… a weird place. Anyways, if you just wanted to read hot robot smut stick to the first chapter, but if you dare to see the fallout of the first chapter then here you go, but you have been warned. Pain and sadness ensue.
> 
> Chapter Warning-Graphic depictions of pain. A little gore.

Tranquility. A strange concept to some and in war, to all. It was hard enough to be happy in such an unjust universe, but war stripped a bot of the ability completely. Many would say they couldn’t remember the last time they were at peace: with themselves, with their comrades, with the universe. Others would say they never had been, that tranquility was a figment of imagination that had never truly existed. Neither side knew which was right and even more unsettling was the fact that the real answer was…they both were.

Those who could barely remember times gone passed were pained by all they had lost. The remembrance of such a state was always in their minds and the knowledge that they could not, maybe never would again, reach that place was terrifying. But what was worse: grasping happiness as if it were tangible and subsequently losing it or never having known it at all? Whether life had started before or after the war had erupted, some had never been able to say definitively that they had ever been happy. The entire situation was sad in ways that were both straightforward and incomprehensible at the same time.

Somehow though, through all that was happening, surrounded by a multitude of unhappy comrades, one was tranquil at this very moment in time. He recharged soundly, comfortably, effortlessly. Life was easy as he intook slowly, deeply and dreamed ever so peacefully. His frame was languid, splayed out in a manner that spoke of easy contentment, of pleasure in every cable, every joint, and every lax tensioner. Side by side with one he had truly loved, twins from spark to offlinement, he couldn’t have felt more complete. The pleasure of knowing his mind was full, his spark was not alone, burned fiercely through him as surely as any star ever had. At this moment the envy from any other who knew of this perfect state would have drowned out rationality to leave nothing but a rage borne of jealousy, misery, and loneliness.

What one would soon realize however was that they would not wish to change places with him for anything in the known universe. Even to obtain that perfect state, the answer would still be no for the ensuing spark-wrenching is more brutal, more painful, and more completely debilitating than anything ever before.

It truly is the cruelest cut of all.

* * *

Never before had unadulterated happiness and utter torture coexisted simultaneously so perfectly than the exact moment Dreadwing awoke from his nightmare. His spark had truly felt whole, felt as though Skyquake were online and well, right next to him. It had been a coding flux so real his mind and body had truly believed it, had reestablished that connection that tied him so effortlessly to his brother. Everything was right with the world except when he came back online. The moment consciousness had returned to his processor so did realization and that bond was ripped away as it had been that first time when his twin was deactivated.

The pain was excruciating, debilitating at its best and unendurable at its worst. His back arched off the berth in torment and an anguished scream erupted from him so unlike his normally calm and deep vocalizations. His optics flashed open, liquid fire in that stark yellow faceplate, and his claws scratched relentlessly at the berth sheets, gouging the metal below in dark rivulets. The screams reverberated through him as his spark was ripped apart for the second time in his life. The electricity burned fiercely along his circuits, alighting every pain receptor along its way and still his spark tried in vain to quell the fire that burned inside him. The compact swirl of bright blue energy threw tendrils outward slamming into the walls of his inner cavity and scorching the inside of his chestplate. The pulse was erratic, whirling quickly in an attempt to maintain its normal balance and ease the frame through the damage.

The current reached his processor and his neural net exploded with data, every code written of nothing but pain. His helm felt like it would explode as he thrashed it from side to side helpless against the onslaught. His frame convulsed against the berth repeatedly, scraping his wings along each time, chipping the paint and breaking the metal ribbing until finally one of the delicate appendages crumped under his weight. A renewed surge of torture sliced through him from the loss of his wing and sparks exploded from the now open wound. His screams came faster now, a new one erupting before the previous one had tailed off.

Something heavy slammed into his chest but recognition was impossible at that moment. His body continued to thrash, pushing upward against the weight trying to contain his ferocity. Something sharp pinched his wrist joint but the dull sting was lost underneath his never-ending torment. A rush of numbness engulfed his right arm and dispersed outward with lightning quickness devolving the remainder of his frame into a dormant state. The flow reached his processor and immediately everything felt fuzzy, his screams dying in his overworked vocalizer. His optics flickered as he allowed his mind to go mercifully blank, the feeling of his chestplates being manually opened his last sensation before darkness claimed his ravaged processor.

* * *

The physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional. Dreadwing woke up screaming wordlessly again, aching unbearably from his loss. Skyquake had been torn from him not once but twice. Twice his life had gone from purposeful to absolutely meaningless in less than an astrosecond. Cruel reality crushed down on him and he cried out to keep from weeping. No bot could ever understand this pain, no bot could ever fathom the wrenching that broke his spark, destroying him from the inside out.

“Dreadwing! DREADWING!” somebot was shouting but he cared not. Nothing mattered anymore. Nothing outside his frame, outside his mind mattered against this pain.

“What is wrong with him?”

“I’m not sure. Something is wrong with his spark. I’m putting him out again. Medical induced stasis this time though. At least until we figure this out.”

 _Why?_ Why had his mind done this to him? Why had his body done this to itself? To believe the lie again so easily?

It was because he longed for it so much. He wanted Skyquake back with him and nothing could ever change the extent of which he yearned for that fact. Thankfully though, the other voices were true to their words as the world was swallowed and his mind was drowned in black.

* * *

Knockout stood by his patient’s berth examining the spark that lay just below him inside of the spread chestplates. His cherry red plating glistened as he moved emphasizing how pristine he kept himself even with his immense workload. If a bot didn’t know better they would think him a modelbot or pleasurebot not the competent medic he truly was. Vanity aside the Aston Martin was a decent mech, kind sparked for a Decepticon and caring enough to treat his patients well, at least most of the time. Right now, he was deeply considering his current patient’s best interests and none of the choices seemed all that good.

He passed his tablet over the spark again to take more readings and continued to be surprised by what he saw. Dreadwing’s spark was full of holes and lacerations within the electrical field, both old scars and new wounds littered the plating that contained the volatile life source. He pondered for a moment the implications of all this and realized he had seen a similar effect before.

It was in that moment that he heard the thunderous steps announcing the approach of his leader. _Perfect timing._ The doors to the medical bay whooshed open behind him and he turned toward the Lord of the Decepticons, helm respectfully bowed. “Have you made any helmway?”

“I believe so, my liege,” responded Knockout. “The reports are confusing but I have a working theory. I think that Dreadwing is suffering the effects of losing a spark bond.”

“There is nothing to indicate that he has taken a bonded recently,” he said with a look of contemplation.

“True, my lord, but I have seen something very similar to this before. When I was in my later stellarcycles at the academy I was required to do research. The mech I was under was focused on sequencing the exact coding and spark transfers that create spark bonds. There were a variety of subjects, all with different numbers and types of bonds, both current and broken. The damage to the spark chambers of those who had lost a bonded and the reaction they described at the time of severance is consistent with his reaction.”

“Noted, but I am still in doubt that he had bonded with somebot aboard the Nemesis.”

“I do not believe it is a recent bonding, my lord. In our studies we found that the level of pain experienced correlated with the length of the established bond. For him to experience such a level of pain this bond must be extremely old. Maybe he was bonded before to a bot we are unaware of?”

“I will have Soundwave investigate. For now, what can be done for him?”

“The experience is just as much mental as it is physical. If I release him from stasis his processor will revert his coding state back to reflect that which it was before stasis. Unfortunately, all we can do is allow him to endure it. Once he accepts it and his spark restores itself, he will recover. I would suggest he be anchored to a med table to prevent him from further damaging himself and if he can be made to still enough I can set up an energon drip with pain meds and a light sedative that should reduce the pain.”

“Do what you must. When can I expect him back online?”

“It is hard to tell. At least a full solarcycle and maybe more to recover. Losing a bonded…it is not easy, my lord.”

Lord Megatron gave him a considering look before, “Why was your reaction less severe than his?”

Knockout took a moment to collect himself as he knew despite his lord’s superb ability to frequently be a cold and sparkless bastard that that was not his intention in this moment. That did not mean it was any easier or less painful to talk about Breakdown’s offlinement, _it never will be._ “Our bond may not have been established as early as his. It was relatively young, only one vorn old, but I also believe it is because Dreadwing had already lost a bonded before, Skyquake. Additional breaks cause more pain because the spark never fully recovers after a spark bond is broken. There is a piece of you missing…forever. Spark twins are hard to come by and even less understood, but it is apparent that he has damage to his casing and the spark itself from that break.”

“Let me know when he has recovered enough to explain himself.”

“Yes, Lord Megatron.” When his leader finally left, Knockout went about collecting different items he would need. The pain reducers and energon drip were already on servo, but he didn’t have any bonds strong enough to hold the flier through all his thrashing. He doubted whether Dreadwing would still enough for him to set up the drip so the medic was going to have to shut down the rotary cables in his shoulder joint to prevent movement. It wasn’t all that hard to do, just attach a cable and find the right splices of code to suppress for the time being.

When that was done he had nothing left to do but get something to hold him down. / I need two drones to the med bay. And bring some energon straps. /

/ Right away Officer Knockout. /

Two vehicons showed up at the med bay entrance not a cycle later. “Secure him.” When they moved to do so he had another thought, “Wait. Turn him over. I don’t want him damaging his wings any further.”

Now lying on his abdominal plates instead they placed the energon straps across his thrusters, knee joints, lower backplates, his shoulders, and finally his wrists. There was nothing more they could do to hinder his movement as shutting off his systems entirely would prolong his healing process. This would have to do. He inserted the drip syringe into an energon line in his immobile left arm and began the procedures to bring him out of stasis. When Knockout was sure everything was correct and he witnessed the first twitch, he ushered the vehicons out alongside himself and waited for the inevitable.

* * *

It didn’t take long for the screams to begin. They rattled off the walls and resonated down the corridor. Even bound they could hear the awful grinding that was the flier’s plating against the metal table. Everybot who passed by stared momentarily at the doors to the medical bay before they rushed off to anyplace that was not there. After awhile only the drones on patrol would go anywhere near that part of the ship and only because they were forced to.

No other wanted to hear that sound. It wasn’t an annoyance, it wasn’t that they wanted quiet, it was because that sound was one of grief. It stirred within all of them a feeling of pain, loss, and hopelessness. Never before had they been so mercilessly reminded of how much they had all lost in this war. Never before had they all wished it were over, to whatever outcome, if only they could all go home.

Megatron allowed them a solarcycle to themselves if only to escape to their quarters, escape that awful noise, that seemingly endless noise. Megacycles passed, each one ticked off by every member of the crew in the hopes that it would be the last. Finally, sometime in the middle of the human night, there came a reprieve. It was a blessing to most for the noise was gone and they could do their best to forget all the thoughts that had been so eagerly drug up in the past megacycles.

For Knockout though, there was no break, no comfort. He had to endure every thought of Breakdown, relive every moment of that accursed solarcycle in which he had screamed and longed for so much more. He had gone to check on Dreadwing often, unable to escape as every other had. When he entered the med bay now he realized that it was not over, in fact, the poor seeker’s vocalizer had just shorted out from overuse. Still he twitched and shuddered. Still his faceplates were contorted in agony. Energon smeared the med table and dripped onto the floor where he had rubbed his plating away. The medic did the only thing he could, he cleaned the wounds to the best of his ability and administered more pain killers, before he walked away.

Two more megacycles passed before Knockout went to check on him and he no longer thrashed. The pain was gone, he looked…defeated. In some ways that look was worse than all the screams that had preceded it. The CMO didn’t want to see him, didn’t want to lay his optics on that sight, but he had to, he had to do his job and help his patient. He moved closer and Dreadwing’s own optics flicked to him. They were hallow, blank, empty of everything. There was nothing left but the want to forget it all and Knockout knew that look for he had sported it himself.

Neither said anything as Knockout went about releasing the bonds and beginning his repairs. He re-cleaned the wounds so that the seeker’s auto-repair could work more quickly to replace the worn plating, and to prevent any of the spilt energon from accidently catching fire as some of his joints were now sparking from the constant grinding he had subjected them to. He injected anesthetic nanites into the crumpled wing and began straitening it once all of the sensor clusters had been dampened. He worked laboriously to fix the physical damage to his SIC, all the while, Dreadwing simply laid there, and the medic knew the things that pained the seeker most could not be fixed with medical tools.

“Dreadwing, I am finished. You may sit now if you wish.” There was no response not that he expected one. “I have left you two cubes of medical grade whenever you feel the need.” Without more to say, Knockout simply left him alone knowing that was what he wanted anyways.

It was much easier to forget his own pain when he left the med bay especially since there was no more screaming to constantly remind him of his loss, and already he began to feel more like himself. His pedes moved briskly as they carried him toward the bridge and when he finally arrived his mood had leveled off. He flowed onto the command deck in all his shiny glory and presented the medical log to his lord for consideration. Megatron gave him a once over before taking the data pad from him with a shake of his helm. “No permanent physical damage. How about mental?”

“To early to tell, my liege. He is unresponsive to communication right now but he will probably come around in a few solarcycles.”

“Very well. Soundwave has been unable to find any evidence of a bonded partner so we will question him at such a time. Right now I want you to prepare the med bay for a cortical psychic patch.” Megatron turned to dismiss him but he made a small noise low in his intake to indicate that he had something else to say and the warlord fixed him with a sinister gaze that clearly said ‘get on with it.’

“Uh…my lord. I believe we should wait a few solarcycles before we perform the patch.”

“And why would that be?”

“It’s just that Dreadwing is still in the med bay and given his condition anything could set him off. It is best to leave him alone right now.”

“I have no time to wait around for him to get over this matter. Prepare…” but he stopped to consider Soundwave, who had turned to him as silently as ever. There was an exchange, or so he assumed, before Megatron’s gaze fell on him again. He looked as though he had lost patience with the entire situation and was about to rip somebot’s helm off at any moment. Knockout was trying to covertly distance himself when Megatron smirked at him. “As you wish doctor,” and he did not miss the sarcasm in that statement, “but Knockout. If I were you I would do my best to expedite his recovery as my patience wears thin, and I have no problem returning you to your previous status as the resident Decepticon wall ornament.”

“Aha…yes, my liege. I shall do that,” he drawled out in a slight panic. Hurrying before Megatron could change his mind, the medic slipped off the bridge heaving a sigh of relief out his vents and relaxing instantly when he was out of the warlord’s line of sight.

The only thing left for him to do now was check on Starscream, who was currently confined to quarters per Megatron’s orders. Dreadwing’s unexpected problem had come about the same night in which Starscream had returned to them so Megatron was forced to delay the patch and his decision about the former SIC’s restoration as a Decepticon officer. The closer he got to the door the more he realized that he was actually a little glad to see Starscream if not only for the company. It had been lonely on the Nemesis as of late, the only officers left were dull, creepy, and/or silent so conversation was definitely lacking.

When he entered the room though, he was not expecting to have a cube of energon chucked at his helm, which he only barely managed to avoid. “Hey, watch the paint.”

“Oh, it’s you.”

“Who were you expecting?” he said sarcastically as he cocked out his hip.

“Oh, I don’t know, somebot of importance,” he replied, his screechy vocalizer laced with an edge that said he was being deliberately condescending.

“Ouch. That one hurt.”

“Knockout, why am I being confined to this sad excuse of a room?”

“Well the luxurious quarters you so desire are reserved for…bots of importance.” The seeker blustered at that, wings flicking to their highest positions denoting the seeker’s indignation while Knockout could only laugh. When Starscream still couldn’t retort he chuckled a bit more before continuing, “Something has happened and Lord Megatron will be busy for a few solarcycles. When he is no longer otherwise occupied, he will summon for you. I am here to look you over.”

“Why would I need to be looked over? We have more serious things to be discussing!” he vented sharply.

Knockout gave him a look that clearly said stop being dramatic. “Starscream, you look like scrap.”

The seeker’s optics glowed fiery red for a moment, clearly he was somewhat high-strung, before he smirked slowly, “I do, don’t I? Well, what are you waiting for?” he said gesturing for Knockout to proceed. “You have no idea Knockout. Living on this mud ball of a planet without access to a wash rack. You would not believe the amount of dirt that came off me when I finally got into the racks. And do you know I had to use the public racks? An officer like me, bathing with the drones. I could not believe Megatron put me in these quarters when they do not…” Knockout turned down his audios and focused on his work. Starscream’s customary ranting was actually welcome compared to the silence he had dealt with recently so he occasionally grumbled alongside the other or replied with short answers of agreement and happily allowed him to talk.

Cycles upon cycles passed as he checked along the other’s plating, circuitry, tubes, and joints. There were missing pieces everywhere and the amount of scratches he had managed to acquire not only on the outside but along his internals as well was impressive. He encased frayed wires, smoothed out roughened plating, and applied nanite gel to any gouges that were too deep for a buffer to remove. The longer he worked the more normal he felt until a question from Starscream brought his processor out of its lulled state and back into the present. “You mentioned something happened earlier?”

“Yes. Dreadwing had a most unusual experience.”

“What, did Megatron finally have to reprimand his most loyal SIC?”

“No, it seems he has lost a bonded. Megatron was quite surprised as we were all unaware that he had one.”

“Hmm, and let me guess, he is not taking it well?”

“No, he had an intense reaction to the severance. He will be out of commission for the next couple solarcycles.”

“Uhh, I never understood the obsessive need to bond with another bot. It weakens a mech, makes them vulnerable. Waste of time in my opinion.” Knockout kept quiet because the words hit too close to home and although they should have angered him, they really only saddened him. “Knockout?” He grunted in recognition, refusing to look at the other for he wasn’t sure what would be reflected in his optics. “I…I do not think less of you for your choice. Your relationship with Breakdown seemed…true, and you know I thought of him as a brave and loyal soldier.” It wasn’t an apology, Starscream would never admit to being wrong, but it was satisfactory nonetheless.

“I know.” Their optics met very briefly each acknowledging what was left unsaid and then the moment was over. “Anyways, Megatron is dealing with some fallout from that and then he will address you I suppose. I never really know what he is thinking.”

“Fine, fine. Well then, I am going to have some energon, and for the good doctor?”

“No thanks. I’ve got a few drones waiting for me in the med bay.” It was a lie and they probably both knew it, but it was going to stand because his berth was calling and nothing could stop him from hitting it faceplates first in the next five cycles. This solarcycle, he was glad, was finally over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Dreadwing. I love him so much and yet this is what I do to him. So this story will focus on him, but surprisingly enough, Knockout has started to become prominent in it as well. I meant for this to be longer but I have had this written for forever and the second part is much trickier to write aka. taking forever. I decided to just go ahead, split it into two chapters, and update for you guys since its already been months on months on months (seriously wtf?).


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